


Not all foxes like sour grapes. Some of them like strawberries.

by BFCentral



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M, Not all drabbles are NSFW, Other characters make apperance, Tsukumo AU also gets a special!, Written for i7 Rarepairs week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BFCentral/pseuds/BFCentral
Summary: #i7RarepairsWeek2020Drabble collection involving a cute redhead and certain fox man.
Relationships: Nanase Riku/Tsukumo Ryou
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39
Collections: IDOLiSH7 Rarepairs Week 2020





	1. Day 1: Family

**Author's Note:**

> RyoRiku is a rarepair because there are only three(3) people in the entire tag who write for it. Anyway, enjoy this mess!

Ryo never understood the attachment someone could have for their family. Why bother with them if they are giving you clear signals that they don’t even want you around? 

How many times had he wanted to raise his voice and ask his mother ‘Why did you give birth to me if you don’t love me?’. How many times had he wanted to ask his father ‘Why is my brother more important than me, even if I proved myself to be better in almost everything?’ 

No matter how many questions he held his voice remained unheard and all of the conversations were held behind the closed door. At some point he gave up at trying to please them, he just turned his back on them and left.

It was one of the reasons Ryo couldn’t understand why Riku was still so much into Kujo Tenn, who wasn’t even his brother by law anymore.

He knew all of their history, it wasn’t hard to search for clues. Pull some strings here and there, ask a few relevant people and  _ there _ it is. The whole unfortunate history of the Nanase family. Just like in the ancient times, Riku’s parents sold Tenn to an unknown man in exchange for money to pay for Riku’s hospital bills.  _ How noble _ , one would think, but for Ryo it was just another example of how parents could choose which child is more important and didn’t bother with their feelings. Just like in his family.

Maybe this is why he understood what Riku felt when he said that he had no idea about anything that was decided for him. They were truly the same, why the world didn’t understand it! Both of them were betrayed by their families, both of them knew that their parents and siblings were full of shit!

However Riku did not share the same view as Ryo. He still had so much belief in his older brother and parents who lied to him constantly. Was he desperate? Had no choice but to believe? Ryo did not understand it and at the same time, he wished Riku would see the world in the same colors like him.

‘Wouldn’t it be so nice...’

He smiled to himself and looked at the paper once, his face soon turning blank.

He was so out of it he signed the document with his surname and put Riku’s name next to it. Putting the pen on the side, he took the paper to his hand and looked once again at his sign.

‘Tsukumo Riku…’

His surname next to Riku’s name gave him a strange sense of happiness. Perhaps if Riku would become a part of his family, he could easily say ‘You are my favorite family member now!’. Maybe he would be able to learn what it means to have a nice and loving family, with this cute boy at his side.

When the door opened he almost jumped, hiding the document in a drawer and closing it with the key. Haruka looked at him suspiciously and let the rest of the crew in.

‘You have /that/ kind of look, Ryo-san. What are you planning?’

‘Nothing that should concern you, little piggy.’

The boy shrugged it off and sat down. Once they were seated, Ryo began one of their meetings, talking about their next move towards Trigger. Soon, the rest of ZOOL took the lead, the man just listening to their ideas and smiling to himself.

‘Once we are done with Trigger, do we go after Re;Vale?’ Torao asked ‘I’d like to see this snow queen’s face crumble into pieces, you know.’

‘Mm, I wonder… Maybe Idolish would be easier to take care of? They are quite new idols but still so popular. What do you think, Ryo-san?’

‘Hm? Ah yeah… Idolish7, huh’ Ryo tilted his head to the side ‘Let’s take care of the remaining side dishes before going straight for the main course. Idolish is just a dessert… But just for you to know, I’d like you to leave the strawberry on the top of that dessert for me. Are we clear on that?’

The confused looks on everyone’s faces told him that they had no idea what he was talking about, but it was fine. They didn’t need to know too much.

Maybe his daydream about Tsukumo Riku will become real _one day._


	2. Day 2: Illness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet present for the sweet boy!

During one of performances Riku’s asthma began to act up so much they had to stop the music and rush him to hospital. I7 managers wished they weren’t so  _ used _ to this. As always during winter they had to be more careful with Riku, yet the boy kept insisting that he is fine and he will be well soon!

Doctors quickly silenced his happy attitude, saying that this hospital stay would be a bit longer than usual, which meant no performances or meeting with fans. Only a handful of people could visit him.

But today's visit wasn’t something Riku expected in his dear life.

‘Yahoo~ I heard someone got sick during the performance’ Ryo peeked into the room and quickly closed the door behind himself. Riku blinked in surprise and put his book back onto the night stand.

‘Tsukumo-san? You came to visit…?’

‘But of course! Unless you tell me to get out, but if you do I may sob my heart out while standing outside your room. But Riku is a good boy and won’t do that, right?’ He approached Riku and sat down next to his bed, pulling out something from his pocket. It was a small but fancy box of strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. Riku knew that brand, it was popular but also quite expensive. The man handed it to Riku with his usual smile on his face.

‘There, for you.’

‘Wha- Tsukumo-san, you didn’t have to-’

‘I knew you would say that, so I absolutely had to.’

Riku was often told by Iori and others to not let this man approach him, hell, accept any gifts from him! Perhaps he should reject it, give it back to him and tell him to leave but-

‘...Thank you, Tsukumo-san’ He opened it carefully, looking at each praline decorated with different ingredients - some of them had white chocolate flakes on them! Riku took one into his hand before putting it into his mouth, feeling that if he wouldn’t do that, Tsukumo’s eyes would drill holes in his very being.

It was incredibly sweet but as soon as chocolate started to melt in his mouth, Riku’s smile became wider. It made him wonder how long it has been since he ate chocolate the last time.

‘You seem to be enjoying yourself, I choose a good one~’

‘Y-Yeah… Thank you so much! But you know…’ Riku put the non-edible part of strawberry on the side ‘When I was small, my parents thought that chocolate was one of the causes of my attacks. That’s why I wasn’t really allowed to eat it-’

‘Ridiculous! What can chocolate even do to you? You can read everywhere that chocolate is good for you. Look at yourself now, you are smiling!’

‘That’s because it’s delicious!’

Both of them laughed. Riku took another one into his hand.

‘Since you bought it, maybe you should try it as well, Tsukumo-san?’ He held it up in front of Ryo’s face ‘Say ah-’

‘Oho- Riku is about to feed me! Maybe it truly is heaven that I have reached now?’ As the man opened his mouth Riku hesitated at first but then pushed the strawberry against it. Before he took the bite, for a brief moment, Ryo’s tongue licked Riku’s finger as he noticed some melted chocolate on it. Riku felt heat rising on his cheeks when those golden eyes looked at him so he quickly took his hand away. Then, he noticed that nothing was left in it.

‘....T-Tsukumo-san, you ate the green part! It’s not edible!’

Ryo munched on the strawberry for a while and then noticed. Oh.

Instead of spitting it out, the man swallowed all of it and licked his lips.

‘Oops, I guess? I wasn’t paying attention because of how delicious the chocolate was, Riku.’

So were Riku’s fingers, Ryo thought to himself. The boy laughed at him, quickly wiping his hand into the tissue.

‘I know, but you shouldn’t eat that!’

They would end up bickering for some time before the whole box was finished and Tsukumo had to retire back to his home before Riku’s next visitors would come. During their talk, Riku almost forgot that they were supposed to be enemies in the first place.

But he wasn’t surprised when he received another box of strawberry pralines delivered a week later, straight into his hands after a check by the security. There was no card attached to them and the sender was listed as ‘Unknown’ but Nanase clearly knew who sent it.

‘Your fans really spoil you, don’t they, Riku?’ Yamato pat his shoulder ‘Next time ask them to send more of those… preferably with alcohol-’

‘Shut up, old man! Those are for Riku, not for you!’

Riku took one of the chocolates into his hand and put it into his mouth, feeling familiar sweetness melt in it.

It was a really nice ‘get well soon’ present from one of his biggest enemies.


	3. Day 3: Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entertainment industry hid many secrets and everyone knew about that.

Entertainment industry hid many secrets and everyone knew about that.

Once Chiba Salon was exposed and its members were brought to light, everyone started pointing fingers at each other and accusations were flying in the air. All the deals made behind closed doors, all relationship scandals covered with a thick carpet - the press would be able to reach everything.

Yet at that moment, Tsukumo didn’t wasn’t concerned about his relationship with a certain redhead getting exposed. They could be discovered today in the evening, tomorrow in the afternoon or maybe in a few years, when Riku won’t be even an idol anymore. He didn’t really want to think about the future now, not when he had Riku on his lap, kissing him hungrily and hiding him from curious stares in his bedroom.

‘Ryo-san…’ Riku breathed out as soon as they parted. It was such a nice view, Idolish7 center breaking into pieces under his touch. He could play Riku’s body like an instrument, knowing that every touch could make him produce new sounds that would be  _ his _ and belong only to  _ him. _

‘What? Do you want more? Aren’t you greedy, Riku?’

‘Mm… You told me that I could be greedy with you…’ The man shifted their positions, caging Riku under himself. In the dim light of the room, Tsukumo could still see how flushed Riku’s cheeks were.

‘Of course you can be greedy! While I am taking from you, you are taking from me as well. We are the same, Riku. But right now, I would truly love to be  _ one _ with you’ He whispered to Riku, his voice being so low it sent a shiver down Riku's spine. He smirked, feeling Riku’s grip on his clothes, a few tugs telling him to get rid of them.

_ He is so cute, _ Ryo thought, _ I can’t get enough of him. _

‘I see you are as desperate as me, tonight. Did you miss me this badly, Riku?’

‘I’m just…’ Riku moaned when Tsukumo’s head went lower, nipping on his neck and going much lower. He could feel a cold hand brush against his stomach, encouraging words to go lower and touch him still being stuck in his throat. It was so embarrassing and yet he didn’t want that man to stop.

‘Don’t worry, Riku. I will make you feel so good tonight, you won’t remember about the world outside this room. Forget about everything and look only at me…’ Ryo raised his gaze to look straight at Riku’s face and smirked seeing how much heat was built up in Riku already.

‘Forget about Nanase Riku of Idolish7 and become Nanase Riku just for me.’


	4. Day 4: Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stay hydrated!

‘You should go on a tour with us, Ryo-san!’

ZOOL once urged him to travel with them, but he ended up brushing it off. He was a busy man, he just couldn’t afford going somewhere with his little band of animals. Not that he cared this much in the first place.

His mask began to crumble once ZOOL returned from Northmare. He saw Idolish7 tweets from there and wondered how much fun he possibly missed. Stupid idols, once again doing something behind his back and not telling him!

Later, it hit him that it was mostly his fault that he refused to have fun with them. Hell, he rejected them all by himself and then blamed others for not letting him in on the trip. He had been incredibly stupid at that time and he would like to forget all of this. Maybe at some point, he would do that.

Many months later, a joint tour of ZOOL and Idolish7 had happened. Ryo as ZOOL’s manager (this time for real!) had to travel with them. Seeing those boys get excited over the tour was one thing but the possibility of being close to Idolish also made him smile.

They still had a rocky path ahead of them and he understood why those boys did not fully trust him, but it was fine. At some point, they might become friends - he and little bird Takanashi were in good relations now, even if she sometimes scared the shit out of him while smiling gently.

‘Okay, rehearsal done for Idolish7! Cheers for good work!’ Said one of the producers after Idolish finished singing. All of them headed to the tables with drinks, grabbing the bottles and drinking as if their life depended on it. Riku however seemed to be a bit lost.

‘Hm? What’s up. Riku?’

‘I think there is no bottle for me…’ The redhead looked on and under the table ‘They forgot about me?’

‘Wow, that’s rude. Let me save you then, Riku!’ Ryo grabbed the bottle from another table and handed it to the boy ‘Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned or anything. Hydrate yourself a bit.’

‘Ah- Thank you so much Tsukumo-san, you are a lifesaver!’ As Riku accepted it, Ryo felt the rest of the members looking at him suspiciously. However, after a few gulps of water, Riku seemed to be fine, so he sent them a confident smirk.

‘See? No one is gonna die today and for sure it’s not gonna be Riku!’

‘Suuure…. But we are watching you, Tsukumo-san!’

When Idolish headed back to their changing room, Riku sent Ryo a silent ‘Thank you!’ and smiled at him, which made the man feel a bit flustered. Who allowed him to be this cute, it should be illegal!

‘Hey… there is no water bottle for me?’ He heard Haruka’s voice from behind and looked at ZOOL ‘Ryo-san, they forgot about me!’

‘Oh noo- What will we do now! Maybe you can share the bottle with Touma?’

‘Gross, I’d rather share with Minami!’

His little piggy didn’t need to know where his water bottle went… It would be their manager’s little secret.


	5. Day 5: Schedules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was all done on purpose.
> 
> TW: NTR

‘Hey guys, did you notice that our schedule always SOMEHOW matches Idolish7?’ Touma mentioned, making everyone raise their gazes to look at him ‘I mean, it’s been like 2 weeks and we are seeing the guys from i7 quite a lot.’

‘And why do you think is that, Touma?’ Torao rolled his eyes ‘I can give you a hint who is responsible for our schedule. His name starts with R and ends with O. You sure know that dude.’

‘Yeah, I know Ryo-san! But why would he do that-’

‘Ryo-san creating our schedules to match Idolish7 can mean only one thing, Inumaru-san. He wants to see Nanase-san.’

‘Shouldn’t you actually be glad, Touma? As Minami said, the reason is pretty obvious and don’t say you aren’t happy to be able to see Nanase everyday’ Haruka said and looked back at his phone, scrolling through his feed. Touma sighed, agreeing with them that indeed it could be the case. He was glad to be able to see Riku everyday and see him smiling. Perhaps he could go and visit his changing room…

A message reached Riku, his phone vibrating in his pocket. He would reach out for it if not certain someone occupying his lips now.

‘Mm... Let me read the message, Ryo-san-’

‘You can do it later when you go back to your friends’ The man moved his hand under Riku’s shirt, cold fingers brushing against his warm skin. Single moan breaking out of Riku’s lips made him smile. How much he wished he could just mess up Riku’s make up and his outfit right now - but unfortunately, he had to stop himself. Riku had a job scheduled with ZOOL today and he had to look great…

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease him a bit.

‘Say what you want, Riku. You can be as demanding as you want, remember we don’t have much time~’ Tsukumo whispered to his ear and kissed it, Riku holding back another moan. God, if only someone knew what they were doing in this empty room- It would cause a huge scandal!

‘Just kiss me, Ryo-san. After work we can... you know.’

‘I don’t, you have to tell me. I’m afraid that I don’t know!’

Riku grabbed Ryo’s cheeks with his fingers, pouting at the man who obviously had more fun than intended.

‘Let’s have sex after work. I want to go to that love hotel where we were last time.’

‘Mm, which one? I’m afraid we went to many, Riku.’

‘The one with-’

Sudden steps behind the door made both of them jump. They could hear muffled voices of Touma and Yamato, who were just talking about their job today.

‘...Dunno where Riku went. He should be back soon, there is still some time. Why do you want to see him by the way? Got a crush on our cute center?’

‘W-what! Nothing like that man…’

‘Sure thing, you are blushing like mad.’

They could hear Yamato laugh, before the sounds began to fade out and disappear. Riku sighed in relief and faced the man back, who had a stupid grin on his face.

‘I almost feel sorry for Touma, he really likes you, Riku. But unfortunately, you belong to me.’

Before the boy could speak, he got his lips taken by Tsukumo again and he moaned into the kiss. He was right, Riku belonged to no one to him.

Sucks to be you, Touma, Ryo thought, before letting his hands slide lower. He had to wait with the main course until evening but now, he will just satisfy himself with a side dish. As long as Riku is the main ingredient, he will be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry touma, no dick for you
> 
> (for now


	6. Day 6: Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are my destiny!

Ryo had always felt as if his whole life was planned by someone.

His family always imposed strange rules on him which he had obeyed without a word. Even if he tried to object, he would be silenced quite quickly. There was nothing he could do to fight it, especially when he was a child.

He was growing up thinking that nothing would change his life. Was there nothing to help him break out of this cycle of rules and people demanding things from him?

The first chance and disappointment came when he saw Zero. An idol of many that couldn’t grant a single wish, even though all Ryo wanted was for an idol to look at him. In the end it never happened and Ryo just gave up, unable to change the verdict of fate.

The second chance came when he met Momo. He was such a bright idol whose smile could move the hearts of many, Ryo included. He managed to charm Ryo so much he actually fell in love with him. But once again, his expectations got betrayed.

The third chance would be the last one. Three times the charm, right? At first, he didn’t even consider Riku someone special. He was just a silly boy who believed too much in his band and this ugly industry. His bright personality was so similar to Momo he didn’t want to look at him.

But when Riku told him about the situation at his home, Ryo instantly felt a connection with him. Knowing his background and hearing him speak about being isolated and kept behind the glass made Ryo sympathize with him.

For the first time, Ryo truly believed that destiny may be a good thing and he believed that maybe Riku is his last chance. That’s why, he was so eager to reach out his hand towards him.

He was born to lose but destined to win in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NGL, I was listening to Jai Ho (Hindi ver) by A. R. Rahman when writing.


	7. Day 7: AU/Crossover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukumo AU special!  
> Based in chapter 36, onsen scene with a bit more detail.
> 
> [NSFW]

It was a horrible idea to have sex in a hot spring, everyone should know that. Yet, Ryo found himself sitting at the edge of their bath, Riku’s hand eagerly stroking his cock.

‘Your skin is so hot and smooth because of the hot springs, Ryo-san... especially here-’ Riku said ‘I like how it fits into my hand so well.’

‘I could say the same about you, duckling. You are so eager to fuck I don’t think there is a force that can stop you.’

‘Are you saying you don’t want to have sex with me? How rude, I should just leave you here with your hardness and your own hand to take care of it’ Riku pouted, Ryo’s fingers poking on his cheek.

‘If you do that, I will be very sad and cry.’

‘How awful. That’s why be quiet and let me enjoy you’ Riku gave the head a lick before taking Ryo’s cock fully into his mouth. He let out a breathy moan, spreading his legs a bit more to give Riku better access. 

Familiar pleasure began to build up in his abdomen. Tsukumo wasn’t sure if he was getting so hot because of the hot springs or because of Riku who was sucking him off. His fingers brushed through Riku’s red locks, trying to encourage him to take his cock even deeper into his mouth, but in Riku’s case maybe he shouldn’t push his luck.

The boy let him go with a quiet pop sound, his lips stained with drool that he quickly wiped off with his hand. He stood up, letting the water trickle down on his skin and pushed his boss a bit deeper onto the edge, straddling him. Ryo didn’t even have to look down to feel how hard Riku already was, his gaze was enough to show him how much Riku wanted him.

‘You better fuck me good, Ryo-san. We will be here for a whole week so I want to feel you even after we leave this bath.’

‘Soo demanding! Don’t worry, you will get what you want, duckling. I’m all yours’ He prompted Riku to raise his hips a bit, positioning his dick in front of Riku’s entrance. Not being quite sure how it would work for them without lube, he began to push into that tight heat and enjoy the sounds Riku was making. Just as Riku said that Ryo’s dick fit into his hand well, Ryo thought that Riku’s body was truly made for him as well.

‘God… it feels so good…’ Riku felt his head get a bit dizzy from heat, but it only added more to his pleasure. He began to move his hips, letting Ryo place his hands on them. Sounds of wet skin slapping against each other were quite loud and obscene, but neither of them bothered with it. Riku’s lips found Ryo’s again, not even trying to hold back his moans. He was feeling so good, Ryo-san felt so good inside him and all he wanted was to literally melt into him.

They had had sex so many times and yet Riku couldn’t get enough of how enjoyable this act was, especially with the person he truly adored. Being showered with so much pleasure and affection was what he wanted right now and Tsukumo was giving him all of it.

He could feel his boss’ hand on his dick, giving him a few strokes. He didn’t want to come so early, but perhaps dizziness was getting too much into his head.

‘More… Ryo-san, god... I will… mm-’

‘Come, Riku… You are so damn beautiful like this-’ Ryo whispered into his ear ‘You were truly made for me and only for me, you know? No one can please you as much as I do-’

Those words were doing wonders to him, his body finally freezing in place and feeling pleasure go through every cell of his body. He whined when he still felt his body being moved, his boss coming soon after him and riding his orgasm out. Riku at this point wasn’t sure if liquids that were trickling down his thighs were water or cum. Probably both.

The two of them were breathing heavily, Tsukumo leaning against the wall of their private bath. Riku completely flopped onto him and let Ryo comb his hair with his fingers.

‘How was it? I feel quite spent, if I had to be honest.’

‘Mmm….’ Riku closed his eyes, feeling his head literally spin. It was a bit hard to form any words right now. He could hear his boss talk to him but all of it turned into incomprehensible mess and-

At some point he blacked out, hearing his name being called with something like ‘You idiot, wake up!’

Ah yes, he truly was an idiot… fainting from getting fucked too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA dont fuck in hot springs


	8. Day 8: Unexpected meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Free day prompt!

‘God, I hate crowds so much!’ Haruka exclaimed loudly enough for the rest to hear him. He was holding strongly on Minami’s sleeve, following him step by step and trying to avoid getting hit by drunktards on the way. Touma and Torao walked behind him, clearly enjoying the mess more than he did.

‘Come on, Haru enjoy! It’s the day of the festival in this city as we were told by locals and our lord clearly wanted to see-’

‘Right! You should just enjoy the atmosphere of chaos!’ Haruka heard Ryo’s voice from the front and almost got hit by someone’s elbow, Minami avoided it as well. He was much better at this, Haruka swore to god if he survives this, he will eat more rice and treasure his life more!

Finally all of them stopped, Ryo turning at them and smirking in his usual way.

‘It’s been a while since I saw such a festival, so I hope you can enjoy it a bit! Just for you to know, we aren’t killing anyone tonight.’

‘Oh my, how unusual. Tsukumo-sama I know would never let the opportunity for a useless massacre to slip away.’ Minami mentioned, Torao getting closer to them.

‘There is no one to off, Ryo-sama? Minami is right, that’s not like you. Considering the circumstances, I would expect you to give us a mission to assassinate someone in the crowd and then disappear conveniently. They took our weapons but we are stacked anyway.’

Man nodded energetically and pat their shoulders.

‘No one to off tonight, boys. I am in a good mood so you better don’t mess up anything or I will be the one who offs you. Now!’ He turned around, stealing one bottle of alcohol from someone’s hand and pushing them off. He took a sip, handed the bottle to Torao and headed between the crowd. All of them sighed deeply, Torao shrugging and drinking the rest of alcohol.

‘Well, we got his approval so? Let’s have fun!’

Torao dropped the bottle onto the ground and broke it into pieces, rest of drunktards around applauding him. Night was still young and they had so much to see and so much to drink while their lord was away.

‘I feel like this night is gonna be ours!’

***

_That alcohol was disgusting_ , Ryo thought as he walked through the crowd. Festive mood got into him only a bit, but if nothing would catch his attention, he would probably retire to his room at some point.

Someone dropped flowers at him, urge to yell at them being too high but he refrained in the end. It was called “City of Flowers” for a reason, tons of petals flying in the air. He wasn’t even sure what this festival was about or who was worshipped, but as long as this place was lively it didn’t matter to him. Once he was done with his errands with some old pricks, he would go back to the Capital and pretend that he is a good son of high official from old bloodline.

How stupid, he thought. His family was often said to be noble and filled with people who had a special like for art, but he clearly knew the truth behind those ugly people. While they financed most of kabuki theaters, acting schools and fine arts, it wasn’t a secret that most of the public houses in red light districts (especially Yoshiwara) belonged to them. The Tsukumo family had so much influence and yet Ryo felt that they seeked more and more. He wondered if there was a limit of how far they can go with their money and fame.

Music reached his ears, so he headed towards it, melody becoming louder with happy cheers mixing with it. It seemed to be some kind of coordinated dance as everyone knew in which direction they were supposed to move and when to perform specific twirls, jumps and steps. Ah right, it had to be a performance, right?

‘Mister, won’t you come with us!’ A woman said to him, few of them pressing their bodies to him. He brushed them off, saying to get lost and passed next to them, still hearing some complaints. He wasn’t interested in going to any brothel tonight, especially with some third-rate prostitutes.

Dancing crowd soon surrounded him, the man not being sure if he could run away from curious stares when one of them got his attention.

This person’s eyes were like flame, looking at him with curiosity. Even if there were people dancing around them, their eyes were fixated on each other. It took him a while to notice that this person had white flowers stuck into their hair and wore a beautiful, black yukata with red flowery designs on it.

Unlike those women, this person was simply enchanting. A smile appeared on their face. Bowing their head slightly, they spinned around and reached out their hand towards Ryo.

As if something struck him, he took it into his own, feeling warm skin against his cold one. With their hands joined, a person pulled him towards the crowd, two of them surrounded by music and colors. Tsukumo let them spin him around, looking at steps he was performing. Red head person seemed to know those steps well, so as soon as he saw the pattern, he tried to follow with their hands still joined together. Seeing them laugh brought a strange feeling to Ryo’s chest. He didn’t want to let go, he let the music and those eyes filled with flame consume him completely.

He wasn’t even sure when the music ended, the rhythmic beat of the drums changing pace to something calmer. Looking at the face of unknown beauty, Ryo noticed that through the whole dance he didn’t let go of their hand. Their fingers were laced together and not even such a crazy dance they just performed was able to separate them. His second hand reached towards their hair, putting one of the flowers back.

‘...There.’

‘Thank you… and you are a wonderful dance partner, Mister.’ They said and smiled at him ‘We should do it again at some point.’

‘And not now? Night is still young, we have time-’

‘I’m-’ Their eyes widened when they noticed someone in the crowd, quickly letting go of Ryo’s hand. They turned around, glancing at Ryo for the last time before running away and disappearing between colorful dancers. Flower that Ryo previously wanted to fix fell down, so he quickly picked it up and looked once again in that direction. 

Mysterious pretty was gone, leaving nothing but a beautiful, white flower in his hand and a pleasant memory in his head.

‘...-sama. Tsukumo-sama!’ Ryo turned his head towards Haruka, who stood next to him, his face unamused ‘You told us to not get in trouble but Torao already beat up someone. I told you it was a bad idea to let him drink!’

‘...Huh, is that so. Did he kill them?’

‘No, Minami took his wakizashi away… anyway, what’s that?’ Haruka pointed at the flower. Ryo smiled to himself, spinning the flower in his hand.

‘I’ve got a present from someone. But I didn’t even get to learn their name.’

‘I see… anyway, let’s go back before Torao gets to drink too much rice wine.’

‘Ah piggy, you don’t know how to have fun, don’t you?’ Ryo laughed, seeing Haruka get all angry over his answer. Two of them headed back towards the pub where the rest of his company was, but the man was sure that it would be hard to forget about this meeting he just experienced. He really wished he could see that person again in the future.

He didn’t even notice that his silver pin with his family crest was gone from his chest and soon, would find itself in hands of no one else but a mysterious redhead....

Who couldn’t forget about an amateur dancer with eyes like purest gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a song from Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. I thought of those two meeting in the crowd and dancing together...
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading!


End file.
